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Cattle feeding margins improved with a $2 per cwt. increase in cash cattle prices while farrow-to-finish hog margins declined modestly on slightly lower lean carcass prices.
The extended rally in lean hog carcass prices continues and farrow-to-finish hog operations are profitable for the 12th consecutive month. Cattle feeders saw prices slip off of recent highs.
Both cattle and hog finishing estimated margins were positive last week despite rising feed costs across both enterprises. Cattle slaughter totals increased while hog processing numbers were near steady.
Average cattle feeding margins improved the final week of March, while average farrow-to-finish hog margins declined modestly.
The leverage shift continues to swing toward ranchers and feedyards as cattle supplies tighten and prices move higher.
Average feed costs for finishing cattle and hogs are 25% to 28% higher than the same week last year, according to Sterling Marketing’s weekly calculations.
The average cost of feeding a steer to finish weight was 25% higher for cattle marketed last week and is projected to be 31% higher for cattle placed on feed last week at roughly $600 per head.
Higher cash cattle prices and lower wholesale beef prices have erased much of the historic profits beef packers saw last year, according to estimates by Sterling Marketing, Inc.
Market leverage continues to shift in the favor of cattle and hog finishers, a trend that has continuously chipped away at the historic packer margins of a year ago.
The pendulum continues to swing in cattlemen’s favor as cash prices rally $3 per cwt. Pork producers see improved profit margins with a $7 per cwt. rally.
Market leverage has shifted dramatically toward ranchers and cattle feeders over the past two months. The combination of rising cattle prices and declining wholesale beef prices has eroded historic packer margins.
Autumn’s fed cattle price rally has pushed average cattle feeding margins through the $200 per head barrier for the first time since well before the pandemic.
The highest cash fed cattle prices in seven years provided good profits for cattle sold last week but rising costs are pushing breakevens higher.
Profit margins for both cattle and hog finishing operations saw modest gains last week but also carry significantly higher feed costs than a year ago.
Cattle feeding margins narrowed significantly last week while pork producer margins remain mired in red ink the first weeks of the new year.
Average cattle feeding margins were near steady last week despite weaker cash prices. Pork producer margins slipped further into the red as lean carcass prices dropped more than 3% for the week.
Negative margins continue growing for beef packers as tightening supplies of cattle support cash prices $17 per cwt. higher than the same week a year ago.
Beef packers saw per head losses nearly double last week as wholesale beef prices tumbled $7 per cwt. lower. Pork processors are also found negative margins and producer margins remain short of breakeven.
Packer margins remain in the red even as wholesale beef prices rallied $9 per cwt. and cash cattle prices were near steady.
Cattle feeders are finding modest profits on market-ready cattle early in the New Year, but replacement feeder cattle prices are driving projected breakevens to eight-year highs.
Spiking wholesale beef prices the week before Christmas helped lift packer margins into the black while increasing cattle feeding margins.
Cattle prices moved higher last week but cattle feeding margins remain modest. The supply-demand fundamentals are trending in favor of cattle feeders.
Rising production costs and steady to weaker cash prices trimmed cattle feeding margins to near breakeven levels. Pork producer margins remain solidly in the red.
The pendulum continues swinging toward cattle feeders as cash prices jumped $3 last week and left packers with their largest negative margins in nearly six years.
Cattle feeding margins remain favorable despite higher costs. Tighter supplies of market-ready cattle become a growing challenge for packers as their margins are squeezed.
Cash cattle and wholesale beef prices moved higher last week, increasing profit margins for both cattle feeders and beef packers. Pork producers saw modest per head losses.
Rising wholesale beef prices and declining packing plant utilization are two indicators to watch as the 2023 cattle markets unfold.
Average cattle feeding margins increased last week as negotiated cash prices set new record highs.
As cash cattle prices have been on an upward trajectory in 2023, packer margins have correspondingly moved lower. Sterling Marketing’s weekly estimates are printing packer margins red for the first time in six years.
Cattle and hog harvest rates were lower last week with higher cash prices paid to farmers and feeders. Margins for both beef and pork packers are trending lower.